Colossians 4:2-6

Further Instructions

2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.



Dig Deeper

As a young disciple there was one older Christian who spent a great deal of time mentoring me, giving me advice, and teaching me how to live the life of Christ in a manner worthy of my calling (although there were certainly many others who helped me in those areas). I relied a great deal on the wisdom of this man and looked up to him as an example of a man who lived an exemplary Christian life. One day, though, he did something that shocked me a great deal. He called me and asked me for some advice. I had relied on him and looked up to him and suddenly he was talking to me as though I was a partner and a valued member of the Christian family. He was calling on me to do what he had done and showed me how to do. It probably seemed insignificant to him at the time, but for me it was one of the most memorable moments in my Christian life. He had not only shown a great deal of faith in me, but he had demonstrated one more Christian truth to me. No Christian is ever above being humble and no Christian is ever so advanced in their faith that they don’t need the support, input, and effort of other Christians, no matter how young and inexperienced in the faith they may be.

Paul was a highly respected apostle and father in the faith. His accomplishments in Christ, by the time he wrote this letter, were already well known and even great Christian leaders like Peter knew that he was writing Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). In the beginning of this letter Paul told the Colossians that he was praying for them (1:3) and about how the gospel, in part due to his great efforts, was spreading quickly (1:6). In this passage Paul continues to offer some guiding principles for the Christian community, particularly in the area of spreading the gospel. In doing so, and this might be easy for us to miss, he asks them to partner with them and do what he has been doing. He lets them know that he relies on them as much as they rely on him and that they have an important role to play in spreading the gospel, just as he does. Paul demonstrates the same truth to the Colossians that I once learned; there is no Christian who is so advanced that they don’t need the prayer and support of other Christians, regardless of how young in the faith they be.

It is a great thing to feel that you are being entrusted with responsibility. As Paul wrote this letter, likely from a prison in Ephesus, he told the Colossians that he was constantly praying for them, because he knew they needed it. No doubt, they would have agreed. Paul calls them to devote themselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Again, nothing unusual here, the New Testament writers often called Christians to pray often and to be alert and watchful in that prayer (Eph. 6:18-20; 1 Pet. 4:7; 5:8). What may have been quite empowering, though, for the young Christians in Colosse was Paul’s request that they pray for him and the others in Ephesus, that God may open a door for their message. "Door" was a familiar scriptural expression used for opportunities to share the gospel and witness (1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12). The message, of course, was the revealing of the life of Christ available to all who would die to themselves and have faith in his life. This was the great ministry to which Paul had been called and now he was employing these junior partners in the faith to the responsibility of praying for him and helping to move God to open doors. They were important; they were needed. Paul shows that he was not only an effective evangelist and church builder but also a wise and encouraging minister that understood that people need responsibility and to feel that they have an important role in the life of the church.

In verses 5 and 6, though, he goes beyond even just asking them to partner with him in prayer so that he may continue to share the gospel around the world. He calls them to the same work of sharing the gospel in their own community and lives. In doing so, he offers some valuable guidelines for their relationships with unbelievers. This is instructive because many Christians today wonder and engage in a great deal of dialogue over how often we should evangelize the lost. Paul would probably be confused by that question as it really misses the point. This is, I believe what he wants the Colossians to understand clearly. Whenever Christians interact with non-Christians they should be sharing their faith. Faith, you remember, is believing in and entering into the life of Jesus Christ as we die to self and subsequently live the life of Christ. Faith then is a life, not a belief system. As Christians, we are called to live the life of the age to come in the present age and in the sight of the world around us. Therefore, every thing we do, whether we are speaking or not, should be an act of sharing that life, our faith, to the world around us. The life of the age to come is the life of heaven, so we have the call to share the life of heaven to those around us, showing them what God’s reality is like.

As they went about living that life, Paul wants them to make the most of every opportunity and to be wise in the way that they acted toward outsiders. The word used for "opportunity" (exagorazo) came from the marketplace and meant "to buy up." Paul, in a sense, is saying "buy up every moment" as an opportunity to demonstrate the life of Christ. This, of course, must be done with wisdom. Our enthusiasm and zeal must be balanced by common sense and tact. Wisdom and grace must color everything we do, but as we live sincere and sober lives of faith, it will speak volumes to those around us.

Lest we are tempted to run with verse 5 and say that our style of evangelism is "life evangelism." Some people have clung to the this idea of life evangelism as the means to sharing their faith that they no longer engage in actually speaking to anyone about the reconciliation available between man and God in the life of Christ. If that is your thought, you should first examine your own heart and see if that is more about comfort than it is about actually being an effective witness. Paul believed that living your faith was important, but will leave no room for thinking that this is all there is to it.

Paul calls the believers to engage in conversation with non-Christians and highlights two aspects of that speech. First, he says it should be full of grace. Thus, the Christian should, in their speech, demonstrate the loving, patient, and righteous nature of God Himself. Second, it should be seasoned with salt. This suggests being able to engage non-believers in a manner that is useful, tasteful, and adds to the conversation. To do be able to do this takes work and preparation. Far too many Christians are content with getting just enough Bible knowledge to stir their own heart or help them in their daily walk with God without considering how self-focused and selfish that is. True, some of us don’t enjoy reading, preparing, studying, and then engaging in conversations with non-believers concerning honest questions about the faith that we live. For some of us, this may be part of the dying to self that is part and parcel of the Christian life. Whether it comes easy or is difficult and takes sacrifice, every Christian is called to move beyond their natural ability and to prepare themselves so that they may answer everyone.



Devotional Thought

Paul says that our lives should be characterized by both living our faith and being able to speak about it. What are your strengths when it comes to these two areas? What are your weaknesses? What do you need to do to improve upon your areas of weakness?